Total Landscape Care Digital Magazine
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/104399
fieldreport: the benefit of that in the past six months because as people have dropped off, there's more market share. We've had a lot of good market penetration. The people who have money are spending money. They had to know who to go to, and they had to see it in different places. David Barglof, Mid Atlantic Enterprise, Williamsburg, Virginia: We added highly crafted construction services. We did a lot more general construction work this year than we normally would do. We did remodel-type work because we have highly skilled construction craftsman on the payroll to keep all of our work in house. In a year that was not going the way that it normally goes, having those people on board really pushed us back over the edge and made it a profitable year for us. David Adams, Landscape Associates, Aldie, Virginia: What made the difference for us was working with repeat clientele. We went back to our existing clients and added additional phases of work. Our fall is really what made us this year. When we see a downturn in the economy, which always takes a few years to recover, we see where we can go – whether it be going into more established neighborhoods, talking with existing clients more or working in a new neighborhood/construction. 10 To ta l L a n d s cap eCare.c om TLC0113_FieldReport.indd 10 Jason Cromely, Hidden Creek Landscaping, Columbus, Ohio: What we discovered this year is really trying to let the clients know that they have hired us to manage the project, and we don't need them to manage us. We brought in top designers and landscape architects who have been able to take our thinking to another level. Jobs that used to go for $100,000 now go for $200,000 because they've added expertise and elements. Matt Seiler, Hidden Creek Landscaping, Columbus, Ohio: The biggest difference is the continued customer service, networking, talking and building trust with property managers. The managers love to rebid, so it's important to blow them away, give them a fair price, bring things up, own it and move on. Landscaper of the Year finalists, including Jason Cromley (shown here), listen to a variety of landscaping success stories. Rod Pappas, Xeriscapes Unlimited, Phoenix, Arizona: The Phoenix area got hit pretty hard with the recession. Landscape companies were sprouting up left and right, taking 100 to 200 home contracts, and construction was just going nuts. We had to convince our clients we were the experts. We were able to team up with municipalities and some of the water divisions j a n u a r y 2 013 12/19/12 3:44 PM